Hamburg Aviation – for Hamburg, the aviation location

Hamburg Aviation is the aviation industry cluster for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region – one of the world’s most important locations in the civil aviation industry. In total, more than 40,000 highly qualified specialist personnel here are working on the future of aviation.

Their core competencies cover the complete life cycle of an aircraft, from the design, manufacture and fitting out, to the global system of air transportation, maintenance, repair and overhaul, and finally to recycling. Put together, this makes Hamburg the third-biggest site in the civil aviation industry worldwide.

The two giants of the industry, Airbus and Lufthansa Technik, are joined by Hamburg Airport and more than 300 small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as a variety of scientific and technological institutions. Every one of them contributes know-how and expertise.

Companies, universities, associations, the economic authority and other partners have come together to form Hamburg Aviation, a cluster dedicated to advancing the city as an aviation location.

Together they pursue a common goal: to network research and development, thereby bringing to market high-quality products and services for the aviation of the future – products that are good for passengers and set the standards in terms of resource protection.

Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and Airport Hamburg

Hamburg is home to the Airbus factory workshops where the entire A320 family of aircraft is constructed and where the section assembly, interior fitting and painting of the A380 take place. The factory on the banks of the Elbe also plays a significant role in the construction of the new long-haul A350.

Lufthansa Technik AG has its headquarters in Hamburg. The company is the world’s leading provider of aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO). More than 750 companies around the world rely on Lufthansa’s technicians.

Hamburg Airport is, at the end of the day, not only the oldest airport in the world to still be based at its original location; it is also one of the world’s most modern airports. More than 14 million passengers take-off and land here every year.

More than 300 suppliers, specialists and leading research facilities

There are also more than 300 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), suppliers and service providers, that have gathered around the three major players. Many of them are represented by the two trade associations, Hanse-Aerospace and HECAS. Aviation in Hamburg is further enriched by excellent teaching and training institutions along with research facilities.

Image film: Experience Hamburg Aviation.

Do you want to find out more about Hamburg Aviation? Our image film gives you insights into the fields of activity and product areas of the region and its companies.

A tradition of excellence – the history of aviation in Hamburg

Aviation has a long tradition in Hamburg: from the early pioneers at the start of the 20th century to today’s high-tech location.

Aircraft were being built and tested in Hamburg as early as 1909 in the Centrale für Aviatic, which later became Hansa-Flugzeugwerke. The foundation stone of the airport was laid in 1911. At the time, it was principally reserved for airships.

In the 1920s and 1930s, aircraft manufacture in Hamburg blossomed, but it was appropriated by the military in the second world war. In the mid-1940s, Hamburger Flugzeugbau GmbH, founded by Blohm&Voss in 1933, built the largest aircraft of the time, the BV 238 flying boat. At the end of the war, however, the factories were disassembled.It was not until the mid-1950s that aircraft were produced in Hamburg again.

Lufthansa built its technical base on the airport site in 1955. From 1956, Hamburger Flugzeugbau GmbH began building military transporters such as the Noratlas and Transall, followed by the government personnel transport, the HFB 320 Hansa Jet. In 1969, this developed into the Franco-German Airbus programme, and Hamburg took off into a new era of aviation.

Hamburg is one of the most important locations worldwide in the civil aviation industry. The city can look back on a great tradition and look forward to an even greater future.